LONDON – The Royal Family made a big deal about Diana Spencer being a virgin, but they don’t mind that Kate Middleton is not a virgin.

LONDON – The Royal Family made a big deal about Diana Spencer being a virgin, but they don’t mind that Kate Middleton is not a virgin.

To the surprise of Royal watchers around the world, The Royals are not bothered by the fact that Prince William and his fiancee, Kate Middleton, have been living together off and on during the course of their eight-year romance, which began in university days.

Nor are they bothered that Kate Middleton has slept with eight other men. They just chalk it up to a “sign of the times.”

The Royal’s sure have changed their attitude to virginity from the days preceding Charles and Diana’s 1981 marriage. At that time, there expected (some say demanded) that Diana not have dated, much less slept, with anyone, including Charles before her engagement to the heir to the throne. Diana’s own uncle came out publicly to declare her a “bona fide” virgin.

The more modern approach gives many royal watchers hope that William, 28, and Middleton, 29, will fare better in their marriage than Charles and Diana, whose very public marital breakdown tarnished the image of the royal family.

Kate’s uncle came out and said, “Kate is going to bring a lot of experience to the royal bedroom!”

Royal expert, Professor Susan Begley of Oxford University, said ” William is his own man. He’s living “in sin” with Kate and he knows she’s been with other men, but he doesn’t care. “The fact that William and (Kate) have had a relationship for eight years speaks for itself.”

William’s decision to live with his fiancee has been met, in general, with a shrug from the British people. Brits, who are rarely virgins when they get married, are comfortable with the royal family having updated its unwritten behavior codes to bring them more in line with widely held social values.

“We live in a modern age and it’s only normal that people shag a dozen or so people of the opposite sex, or same sex, before they settle down,” said James Moxley, 36, an engineer from Birmingham. “It’s probably best that they lived together before making a commitment.”

Some historians say it’s about time the royals shed their prudishness about the past of new entries into their family. When Charles and Diana wed, his history of dating was not an issue. Charles may well have wanted to marry girlfriend Camilla Shand, but she was not seen as an appropriate choice because she had had several previous boyfriends. She became Charles’ second wife decades later.

The only aspect of Kate’s previous sexual life that ruffles some Royal feathers, is that one of her previous lovers is the man pictured below:

Royal attitudes toward sexuality have never been based on fixed rules but rather unwritten conventions. The code of behavior has evolved – slowly – over the centuries as social values change. It is the monarch who sets the tone, so the views of Queen Elizabeth II have prevailed for nearly six decades.

The new tone from Queen Elizabeth is welcome news to all Brits. In fact, on the wedding day, the Queen recommends all Brits, “Shag away on Kate & William Day!”